CHAPTER 2: Critical Feminism in Education

In order to answer the question, “What is critical feminism?” and further, “What has been its impact in education?” we have found it helpful to first consider the individual components that encompass this topic—feminism and critical theory. With that being said, we begin by asking, “What is Feminism?” followed by “What is Critical Theory?” We hope through this individualized method we will be able to more thoughtfully traverse the nuances of critical feminism in education and consider its aims, intentions, manifestations, and responses in holistic and particular ways.

Not many theoretical and philosophical traditions or activist movements can claim as vibrant, complicated, and contested a history and community as feminism. Feminist action, and to a lesser extent theorizing, is traditionally organized within three temporal settings or “waves” (Hewitt, 2012). First-wave feminism is generally acknowledged as having occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s, with second-wave feminism beginning in the midto late 1960s, and third-wave feminism describing the efforts of the early 1990s to the present (Hewitt, 2012). With these traditionally organized waves, feminism has found its commitments increasingly challenged and its deployment more diverse with each succeeding iteration.